Gubu World is an Irishmans view of global affairs. Gubu is an Irish political phrase that stands for grotesque, unbelievable, bizare and unprecendented. Gubu World is a polictical blog that debates international issues of contention. While keeping an eye on events in Ireland we regularly debate developments in Iraq, Iran, Israel and other troubled spots.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Dan Senor and Mitt Romney

I was surprised to find out during Mitt Romney's recent European and Mid East trip that his foreign policy advisor is Dan Senor. In every book I have read on the US post invasion administration of Iraq the name Dan Senor comes up time and time again as someone who was an obstacle to progress. Senor at the time was Paul Bremer's spokesman and close aide. Bremer was the chairman of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) from May 2003 to June 2004. It was during this time that several mistakes were made by Bremer which are generaly regarded as being responsible for the emergence of the ferocious Iraqi insurgency in 2005 the most notable of which was the disbandment of the Iraqi Army. However in many of the accounts I have read of this era the blame is oftern focused on Senor as much as Bremer. I have noticed that this is true of publications that are both conservative and anti war. From what I could tell the US military in Iraq detested Dan Senor. As Bremer's spokesman he constantly restricted access to Bremer for Pentagon officials who were desperate to warn him of upcoming dangers.

Dan Senor (left) with Paul Bremer during the US administration of Iraq. Senor is now Mitt Romney's chief Foreign Policy advisor.

It would seem that Dan Senor and to a lesser extent Paul Bremer were more concerned about free market ideologies and how these alone would be enough to pacify Iraq more than any other practical considerations. Bremer and Senor quickly set about privitising Iraqi national industries which had been non existent during Sadam's reign. They seemed to believe that the introduction of a free market economy in Iraq would more than any other factor lead to a free and stable nation. In some circumstances I might agree. But in a nation as ethnically and religiously fragmented as Iraq that had just come out of 30 years of brutal dictatorship there were obviously some more urgent concerns that needed to be prioritised such as the masses of armed men particularly in the capital that were fearful of their position in the new Shia dominated order. The military were aware of this but the CPA did not appear interested. The mishandlings of Bremer would prove disastrous. I am surprised that Mitt Romney has chosen a foreign policy advisor who is so directly linked with one of US Foreign policy's greatest failures.

10 comments:

To Ted Leddy. On Mitt Romney's comments on the Palestinians. This was an inference that because a culture is different and less well developed commercially it must be inferior. This is how the English regarded the Irish of course when they put in the settlers. Surprised to see an Irishman defending colonialism.

To Ted Leddy. Of course he took Senor with him to Israel. He's Jewish and author of Start up Nation - The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle. I think that with billions of dollars of free handouts every year I could perform an economic miracle. Not to mention what the've stolen and continue to steal from the Palestinians. Even so their society is turning sour. Riots on the streets, people setting themselves on fire and a growing racism everywhere.

An interesting article on Israel's agents, Romney and Senor, laying out impossible conditions for Iran's nuclear technology to adhere to, or face war with the US, conditions that no other country in the world is expected to comply with. In other words, Israel WANTS a war with Iran, one of its fiercest critics and a supporter of Hezbollah.takimag.com/article/is-mitt-being-neoconned-into-war-patrick-buchanan/page-2*axzz22ZVoliNT.

It's interesting isn't it how labels such as 'Jewish' and 'Irish' are tossed around by BM as if an individual belonging to such a group really ought to have a ready made pigeon-holed position on an issue. If anything it is indicative of a deeply prejudicial view of people.

To The System Works. When someone cries 'leftist' you know that their ideas about someone else's opinions are narrow and limited. I agree with you on 'aid' that adds to the Rolls-Royce fleet of some dictator or undemocratic regime. Israel's aid though is comprehensive. Loan guarantees enable money to be borrowed cheaply and the private donations are enormous.

More on Israel's massive handouts from the US. In 1990 George Bush lent(gave) Israel 400 million dollars to help settle new immigrants PROVIDED they were not to be in E. Jerusalem. Israel refused the conditions but got the money anyway. In 1992 he gave 10 BILLION for new housing but with deductions for any built in E. Jerusalem by the Israeli GOVERNMENT. So they just deployed PRIVATE contractors instead and still got the money. What a thieving, lying, devious bunch of gangsters these Israelis are.

As I have made clear to you before I do not view being Irish as meaning you should be pro Palestine. I view it as being pro the peace process, since we Irish have had such a successful one.

Israel doesn't want war with Iran. If they did they would just bomb it. It only wants one thing from Iran. It wants them to cease developing a nuclear capability which would enable them to annihilate every Jew in the Middle East, just as Hitler did in much of Europe.

"What a thieving, lying, devious bunch of gangsters these Israelis are". Strong words, if we are being emotive I too might use some of those words to describe Israeli settlement policy, but I would use much worse to describe the endless examples of Arab and Palestinian obstructionism since 1948 not to mention the countless examples of terrorism against Israeli and Jewish civilians.

"I would use much worse to describe the endless examples of Arab and Palestinian obstructionism since 1948 not to mention the countless examples of terrorism against Israeli and Jewish civilians".

Also, perhaps, the theft of international aid funds by the likes of Arafat. Remember, one leader of a Gulf state during an emergency meeting of the Arab League during the First Gulf War loudly accused Arafat and several cronies in front of the TV cameras of stealing $2 billion of the funds donated for infrastructure projects in the Palestinian territories.

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About Gubu World

In 1982 Irelands most wanted criminal, a double murderer was arrested in the home of the attorney general whom he was aquainted with socially. The Taoiseach (Irish Prime minister) of the day, Charles Haughey, described the event as being grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecendented. The phrase gubu was born. The creator of this blog believes that gubu is a perfectly appropriate phrase to describe the sequence of global events that have occurred since the outbreak of the second intifada in September 2000 and the present day. This time line incorporates many grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented events such as September 11th, the invasion of Afghanistan, the Iraq war, genocide in Darfur, the Iranian nuclear crisis and the second Lebanon war. Gubu World is committed to instigating intelligent and rational debate in order to make some sense of the madness.

About Me

My name is Ted Leddy. I am a 29 year old Irishman with an intense interest in global affairs, particularly within the Middle East. I am interested in debating with people on the following issues. Israel, Jewish politics, The Israeli Palestinian peace process, Iran and Iraq. I also intend to regularly commentate on the progress of President Obamas presidency keeping a particular eye on his foreign policy.